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Younis Khan open to captaincy offer

Younis Khan said if an offer of captaincy was made to him by the administrators, he would surely give it a thought.

Karachi: Expressing his desire to do the captaincy again, Pakistan batsman Younis Khan said if any such offer was made to him by the administrators, he would surely give it a thought. "Leading the national team has been an honour and if the board has any offer I will consider it," he said.

Younis though made it clear that he is not after the Pakistan captaincy. The 34-year-old cricketer also straightened out that he had no issues playing under any other captain as he continued to love his game.

Younis, who led Pakistan to the 2009 World Twenty20 title as well as the Champions Trophy semi-final later that year, resigned from the captaincy after the home series against New Zealand in the UAE the same year, claiming he was not getting support from his team members. Since then, he has turned down offers to lead the side, telling the authorities that he wanted to focus on his batting.

Sources close to Younis said that, although he has publicly admitted that he may consider leading the team again; but is not keen on taking up captaincy anymore. “He is a sensitive soul and after what happened in 2009 and the way some players went against him, he has definitely ruled out taking on the responsibility of leading the team again,” a source said.

Younis, meanwhile, made it clear that he had no intention of retiring from the game in the near future."I am 34 and very fit. I enjoy playing cricket and doing well for my team. I look at playing at least 100 Tests before I can call it a day from Test cricket," he said.

Younis, who has played 76 Tests, said he realised that at the end of the day everything depended on a player’s form and fitness."No player can survive at the top level without the required level of fitness and performances. But yes I plan to touch the 100 Test mark before I think of retiring."

The senior batsman said, he like any other Pakistan national, is disappointed at the postponement of the Bangladesh's tour to Lahore as planned initially.

"It is very disappointing what happened but I think we as a nation also need to work against those people who are bringing a bad name to Pakistan and tarnishing its image. We need to clear some perceptions about the security in Pakistan," said Younis.